Monday, July 3, 2006

If you're thinking of purchasing one of Apple's recently released MacBooks or MacBook Pros, think twice. Because of a supposed over application of thermal grease, the sleek computing powerhouses have been reported to overheat causing application freezes and an annoying whir of the fan.

Thermal grease is a metallic paste applied to processors to aid in the dissipation of heat from key components. The latest wave of posts on Mac enthusiast message boards and blogs offers some do-it-yourself repairs but any alterations to the inside of your MacBook not done by Apple, will void your warranty. Even with the most common repair, the reapplication of the thermal paste on the processor and other hardware, the effect has been minimal. The units still heat to a degree that can cause application freezes and the heat for some is annoying for users who set the laptop on their lap for long periods of time. It may be best to wait for the second wave of MacBooks and MacBook Pros, which are rumored to have a cooler processing speed.

But if you absolutely cannot wait here are some tips for keeping your Mac cool:1. Make sure the fans are not blocked and that they have a steady flow of air. 2. If setting it on a table, prop the back end up with a pencil to allow better airflow under the unit. 3. Try reapplying the thermal paste but this will void your warranty.